Can we use remote sensing datasets to investigate the impact of wind extremes on carbon cycling in forests?

Past studies have shown that disturbances such as fire can have a significant impact on carbon cycling, yet the impact of wind extremes on carbon cycling is largely unknown. Using Hurricanes Irma and Maria (September - October 2017) as a case study, I investigate the feasibility of observing changes in aboveground biomass after intense storm events through vegetation optical depth, a measure of canopy density from microwave remote sensing. I compare changes in aboveground biomass to maximum wind speeds during the hurricane to investigate the relationship between wind speeds and biomass loss.

Datasets:

• Wind speeds from ERA5 (European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)
• Vegetation Optical Depth (VOD) from SMOS (European Space Agency)

Project by Jashvina Devadoss, December 2019